AGP Executive Report

Grid Access & Market Reform: Nepal opened its national electricity transmission grid to private players via fixed wheeling charges, setting short-term rates at 57 paisa/kWh and aiming to enable open access trading. Climate Early Warnings: Nepal’s flood tragedy is pushing a push for satellite-based hazard monitoring paired with local action, while the Philippines’ DOST is installing automatic weather stations in Leyte to help farmers respond to worsening El Niño. Hydropower Under Pressure: Flooding shut Nepal’s 6MW Relekhola hydropower project after dam damage and transmission outages; in Nigeria, a key arbitration win is clearing legal hurdles for the Mambilla hydropower project. Renewables Build-Out: Zambia’s ZEMA approved a 350MW wind facility in Katete; South Africa inaugurated the Riversdale Solar Plant to cut Eskom reliance; Zimbabwe unveiled a 1,065MW solar rollout to tackle power deficits. Energy Storage Breakthrough: Chinese scientists claim a water-based battery that can last up to 120,000 cycles, targeting safety and long-life storage needs. Heat Stress Reality Check: Copernicus says 52% of Europe saw “very strong” heat stress in summer 2026, underscoring rising climate risk to power and food systems. Solar at Scale (Islands): Maldives resort RAH GILI MALDIVES is running a 2MW solar-plus-2.5MWh battery hybrid to reduce diesel dependence.

Climate & Water Security: Switzerland’s glaciers lost 5.5% of ice volume in 2026, with low winter snow leaving them exposed to heat waves—raising alarms for future water supplies and hydropower. Renewables in the Real World: Germany hit a record 60%+ renewables share of electricity use in the first nine months, led by wind and solar, while hydropower dipped with lower rainfall. Grid Stress From Climate Extremes: Nepal’s Bhotekoshi/Trishuli floods knocked out at least 640 MW of generation, pushing the country toward more winter imports from India. Hydropower Reliability Work: The last phase of trash rack repairs at the Narrows Dam is underway to protect intakes and keep long-term hydropower operations safe during drought-lower lake levels. AI Data Centers, But Make It Solar: Google’s Project Suncatcher is launching AI chips into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 test, aiming to explore solar-powered space-based computing as terrestrial data centers face backlash. Clean Power Finance: Lydian and Infranity closed a $300M credit facility to expand utility-scale battery storage and solar projects. Commercial Solar’s Bottleneck: A new report says solar adoption is increasingly driven by financing terms, not technology—shaping which projects move forward.

Grid & renewables buildout: Egypt says it will lift renewables to 61.2% of electricity by 2040 under a five-trillion-pound plan targeting 126.8 GW total capacity, including 40.5 GW wind and 24.7 GW solar, plus more batteries and grid expansion. Solar momentum: Haiti’s Caracol project (13.4 MW) is set to be operational next month, backed by IDB funding and paired with battery storage for stability. Energy storage basics: A new explainer breaks down how to match storage tech to the job—power vs energy, and why long-duration needs differ from short bursts. Hydropower resilience: Cambodia’s Stung Pursat 1 dam is credited with reducing flooding impacts this year, while Nepal’s Bhotekoshi disaster continues to spotlight how climate stress can knock out hydropower and force emergency power planning. Policy & governance: Singapore is exploring nuclear fusion as part of its energy transition, and India’s Green Energy Corridor Phase-III clears the way for up to 135 GW of renewables plus 50 GWh of battery storage. Project pipeline: Zambia’s Arc Power plans a 10 MW solar plant in Chinsali, and India’s NTPC REL and SECI issued major solar EPC tenders (1 GW in Andhra Pradesh; 60 MW in Bihar). Climate hit: Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of ice volume in 2026, raising long-term risks for water and hydropower.

Solar policy in Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission set new solar purchase rates for public utilities at Tk6.98/kWh (33 kV) and Tk7.11/kWh (132 kV), plus network-use charges under open access rules. Grid and renewables in India: A Kearney report warns India’s 500 GW renewables push could be throttled by transmission planning, execution and digital gaps, citing major solar curtailment tied to grid constraints. Hydropower stress in Nepal: After Bhotekoshi floods and further monsoon damage, Nepal plans to import up to 1,100 MW from India during the dry season to cover generation losses. Energy resilience and storage: Ukraine’s education ministry issued guidance for schools during possible outages, including backup power and staged response levels. Renewables for data centers: Amazon signed a wind PPA with Statkraft in Shetland, while Meta’s new solar deal in Texas highlights how AI-era power demand is reshaping corporate clean-energy contracting. Hydrogen reality check: A Sarawak analyst cautioned that hydrogen incentives hinge on finding buyers willing to pay commercially viable prices. Local solar adoption: Scottish Water hit 100 installed solar projects, generating enough power for about 9,300 homes annually.

Nepal Grid Resilience: After the Bhotekoshi flood knocked out 430 MW and strained Kathmandu’s Balaju/Chabahil lines, the energy ministry and NEA are pushing an alternative winter plan, including more underground grids and a fixed timeline with road authorities. Zambia Solar Push: Maamba Solar began commissioning a 100 MW project, starting power injection into ZESCO’s grid and aligning with Zambia’s drive toward 1,000 MW solar this year. India Storage Rules: Kerala’s draft electricity tariff framework adds a dedicated storage section for BESS and pumped storage, setting availability and discharge norms to shape how batteries get paid. Armenia Grid Disruption: A major fire at Yerevan’s Tsitsernakaberd 110/6 kV substation injured two firefighters and disrupted power, with investigators tracing the transformer-origin blaze. Clean-Energy Finance: IsDB approved $938m in development financing across energy and other sectors, including a Kungrad wind + battery storage project in Uzbekistan. Corporate Moves: Inox Clean Energy filed for an up-to ₹100bn IPO as it expands solar and wind; KPI Green Energy shares jumped on wind asset acquisitions. Solar on Water Debate: Sri Lanka’s new 5 MW floating solar highlights diesel savings, but renewables planners are questioning whether reservoirs should be the priority over rooftops and degraded land.

Clean Energy Finance: The Islamic Development Bank approved a $938M package spanning wind, agriculture, health, transport, and water in six member countries, including $115M for Uzbekistan’s Kungrad wind plus battery storage. Grid & Reliability: In the Philippines’ Visayas, NGCP says power supply has improved but brownout risk remains as aging plants and outages persist, with key units still offline or returning later. Hydrogen Push: The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership formalized an Exchange Membership with Oregon’s Renewable Hydrogen Alliance to accelerate hydrogen education and market development across the Pacific Northwest. Storage Deal: Sri Lanka’s Vidullanka-linked firms won bids for 18.7MW/93MWh of battery storage tied to existing solar sites, with awards and agreements still pending. Solar Tech Leap: Researchers reported tandem all-perovskite triple-junction solar cells surpassing 30% efficiency, while perovskite/silicon tandems hit 34% in lab results. Energy Security Politics: Spain, Portugal, and Luxembourg urged the EU to set binding 2040 renewables targets to cut fossil import exposure amid geopolitical shocks. Biofuels & Shipping: Maersk completed the first U.S. ship-to-ship ethanol bunkering using U.S. corn ethanol, adding real-world data for low-emission maritime fuels. Climate Stress: A report warns the 2026-27 super El Niño may bring floods first, then a sharp drought shift—raising stakes for power and water planning.

Solar Supply Chain & Agri-Solar: Vikram Solar secured a 400 MW module supply order for Maharashtra’s agricultural feeder solarisation, with 620 Wp N-type TOPCon glass-to-glass bifacial half-cut modules; deliveries start Oct 2026. Grid & Storage Policy: India’s CERC floated new Grid Code rules for standalone BESS, including staged trial runs and added requirements tied to grid-forming and co-located storage. Hydropower Resilience: Nepal’s NEA is planning to import 1,154 MW from India for the dry season after floods hit generation, while Lamjung’s Marsyangdi corridor saw two high-capacity projects resume after river levels stabilized. Disaster Fallout: Nepal reported at least 27 deaths and seven injuries from floods, landslides and lightning since Sep 24, with power and roads disrupted across hundreds of families. Finance for Clean Power: Solfin launched a performance-linked solar lease in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, shifting C&I solar payments to power output while covering performance and maintenance. Local Revenue from Hydro: Dharche in Gorkha is emerging as a hydropower hub, generating internal revenue from multiple operating projects. Regulatory Push in Korea: South Korea is moving to turn Saemangeum into a “regulatory innovation hub” to speed rules for AI, data centers, hydrogen and solar. Permitting Politics (US): US senators are advancing a permitting reform bill aimed at easing approvals for energy projects, including solar and gas. Solar Safety Question (US): A Los Angeles fire investigation left the cause “undetermined,” with an “unknown electrical event” in a rooftop solar array listed as the most probable origin.

Himalayan Power Shock: Nepal’s Bhote Koshi floods and monsoon-triggered landslides have hit the grid hard, cutting 430 MW and damaging NEA generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, with preliminary damage pegged at Rs 74 billion; some hydropower corridors have restarted, but multiple projects remain offline. Winter Import Plan: NEA says it will import up to 1,154 MW from India during Jan–May 2027 to cover dry-season shortfalls as river flows drop. Solar Finance Win: Dubai’s DEWA has completed a $2.7 billion refinancing for the 950 MW Noor Energy 1 CSP-PV complex, boosting dispatchable clean power with up to 15 hours of storage. Grid Tightness in the UK: Great Britain’s Neso issued an electricity margin notice for the evening peak, then cancelled it after market response restored operating margins. Data Center Power Politics (US): Virginia and Prince William County moved to tighten approvals for large data centers, as lawmakers debate who pays for grid upgrades amid AI-driven demand. Germany Solar Record: Germany’s solar output is already outpacing all of 2025, helped by strong sunshine and continued PV growth. Heat Pumps in Europe: Sales jumped across Europe as higher energy prices and electricity-tax changes pushed households toward electrified heating.

Wind Tech & Certification: Envision Energy unveiled its 8 MW-class Model T–EN175/8.0 at WindEnergy Hamburg 2026, pairing a 175-metre rotor with AI-driven autonomous optimisation, and also secured DNV type certification for its TG Pro platform. Grid Flexibility & Storage: PacificLight Power (PLM Power) broke ground in Singapore on a 670 MW gas plant paired with an 80 MW battery system, aiming for more resilient power as demand rises. Solar Finance: DEWA completed the $2.70bn refinancing of Noor Energy 1, a 950 MW solar CSP-plus-storage project designed for dispatchable day-and-night generation. Renewables Volatility Watch: Croatia’s wind and solar output fell sharply week-on-week, forcing higher imports even as hydropower rose—another reminder that balancing matters as variable generation grows. Underwater Solar R&D: Researchers tested perovskite solar panels at 10 metres depth, generating power for subsea sensors without relying only on batteries. Disaster Strikes Hydropower: Nepal’s relentless rains and landslides damaged transmission towers on the Kaligandaki corridor, shutting down hundreds of MW and disrupting power supply. C&I Solar Hardware: Swelect launched its Swess EN+ hybrid solar inverter range for commercial and industrial sites, bundling solar, storage and grid management. EV Charging Race: China’s automakers are pushing ultra-fast charging toward “refuel-like” times, with megawatt-class systems in development. Hydrogen/Materials Innovation: QuesTek is expanding its Niobium Suite for computational materials design, while GreenQuest research targets better catalysts for turning CO₂ into useful chemicals.

Himalayan Disaster Response: Nepal’s relentless rain and snowfall have killed at least 21 people with 5 missing, while landslides and floods are also disrupting power: 1,013.2 MW affected on the national grid and 318 MW of hydropower shut after transmission tower damage. Grid & Hydropower Impacts: Nepal’s Kaligandaki corridor alone saw 358 MW from 12 projects halted as damaged transmission lines and hydropower headworks compound outages. Road Access Hit: The Jomsom–Korala route is completely blocked by landslides and heavy snow, stalling cross-border trade and relief logistics. Renewables Finance (Bangladesh): PKSF approved Tk 7,245 crore to expand rooftop solar, including Tk 500 crore for solar lending via partner orgs. Solar Power in Government (Bangladesh): A minister urged faster rollout of solar at public offices and institutions, with inspections planned. UAE Clean Power: DEWA completed a $2.70 billion refinancing of Noor Energy 1, a 950 MW CSP project with thermal storage. Philippines Grid Planning: DOE cleared 17.8 GW of projects for system impact studies, with battery storage dominating (85 projects). Australia Renewables Milestone: Australia’s main grid hit 80% renewables for two straight days, with rooftop solar supplying over half of demand at times. Wind & Solar Expansion (India): Refex Renewables acquired stakes in wind SPVs to speed up IPP readiness for PPAs.

Solar Surge in Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka added 1,513MW of solar to the national grid from last year through August 2026, with rooftop systems contributing 1,141.1MW and ground-mounted projects adding about 370MW, underscoring solar’s growing role in the power mix. Hydropower Risk Exposed in Nepal: Nepal’s August floods and glacial collapse killed 1,400+ and knocked out about 410MW (roughly 10% of capacity), renewing calls to rethink the country’s hydropower buildout as climate and geological hazards intensify. Grid Rules Under Fire in Nepal: The Independent Power Producers’ Association proposed 19 amendments to NEA grid-connection rules, arguing the draft shifts too much financial and operational risk onto producers. Offshore Wind Bottlenecks in Vietnam: Insiders say Vietnam needs a clearer, unified policy framework to unlock long-term investment for offshore wind, citing legal and procedural hurdles. Lithium Recycling Push in Germany: A German recycler says its expanded process can cut Europe’s dependence on China for battery-grade lithium chemicals, though scaling remains a challenge. Rooftop Solar Deal in Bangladesh: Cynergy signed a 608kWp rooftop solar agreement for Dutch-Bangla Pack’s manufacturing site to reduce grid reliance and emissions. Solar Supply-Chain Pressure in Thailand: Thailand is defending its local solar push as China supplied 99.3% of panel imports in early 2026, while a new subsidy plan aims to boost rooftop adoption and local manufacturing. Maritime Electrification Watch: A new look at marine batteries highlights hybrid solutions today and the path toward fuller electrification as charging infrastructure grows.

Grid & AI power demand: The US Department of Energy pledged nearly $19B to modernize transmission and substations as data centers—especially AI clusters—push utilities toward multi-year connection delays. Hydropower & climate risk: Nepal is shifting from rescue to reconstruction after the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli–Narayani floods, with a damage bill of $2.7B and a higher recovery-and-rebuild estimate of $4.77B, while thousands remain missing and hydropower assets were hit. India pumped storage push: NTPC and EDF Power Solutions signed a 50:50 JV to develop pumped storage, hydropower, and other low-carbon flexibility projects across India and neighbors. Solar policy in South Asia: Sri Lanka’s energy minister denied plans to curb rooftop solar, citing recent grid additions and more capacity targets through 2029. Renewables financing in Africa: Zambia’s Maamba Solar began feeding power into the national grid, and Mercuria backed Southern/Eastern Africa generation and transmission with a $250M deal. Energy access & tech: Uganda rolled out automated voice calls to help monitor cancer patients between treatments, using phone-based follow-ups without smartphones.

Renewables in the spotlight: China’s Kubuqi desert renewable base hit a key milestone as four “four-tower-in-one” cooling structures topped out, part of a planned 10 million kW wind and solar buildout. Grid resilience after disasters: Nepal marked a month since the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli floods, with 1,453 dead and 5,550 missing, while hydropower and solar capacity were damaged and NEA began winter demand planning to avoid load-shedding. Climate diplomacy: Nepal’s PM Balendra Shah and Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal pushed a “Sagarmatha to the Sea” push at the UN, calling for cross-border climate action and proposing a Himalaya Climate Resilience Mechanism with India and China. Clean power projects move ahead: Nepal connected the 40 MW Rahughat hydropower project to the national grid, and a new Elgin, Illinois solar farm is set to cut bills for 580 low- and moderate-income households. Energy policy pressure: India is considering a return to mandatory blending of imported coal (up to 5%) as inventories fall and spot power prices rise. Offshore wind investment: NYK ordered a new service operation vessel to expand offshore wind operations across Asia-Pacific. Energy poverty and cooling: Ahead of COP31, coverage highlighted the growing need for affordable cooling as heat risk rises.

Solar & grid rules: Kenya Power faces a new regulatory push as Epra introduces a “dumping surcharge” for homes and businesses that illegally push excess solar electricity into the grid without authorization, aiming to protect network stability and technician safety. Space-age energy tech: Google’s Project Suncatcher will test AI chips (TPUs) in orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-18, using space sunlight to explore whether scalable machine learning infrastructure can run in low Earth orbit. Hydropower resilience: U.S. emergency officials ran a high-water simulation at Tennessee’s Center Hill Dam to stress-test emergency releases and flood warning coordination. Climate pressure on water & power: A University of Colorado explainer says the Colorado River crisis is a slow-motion emergency, with conservation cuts unlikely to fully restore the system. Renewables training: Climate Week NYC’s Bridges to REST delivered hands-on solar and wind skills training at LaGuardia Community College. Regional clean power diplomacy: Tajikistan and Azerbaijan discussed a “green digital corridor,” banking on Tajik hydropower as a “green battery” for AI-era computing. Solar policy at home: Spain’s Region of Murcia highlights income tax deductions and local property-tax breaks to help residents fund rooftop solar.

Solar for grid stress relief: China delivered 5,000 solar power systems to Cuba for isolated homes and public facilities as blackouts and fuel shortages keep hitting the island’s aging grid. Distributed solar procurement: India’s MESCOM invited bids for feeder-level solarization across agriculture/mixed-load feeders at multiple substations. Battery storage buildout: Aruba kicked off BESS II, a 35 MW / 70 MWh project aimed at stabilizing a renewables-heavy grid and smoothing wind/solar variability. Cold-weather defense batteries: South 8 Technologies started a new semi-automated battery cell line in San Diego to support extreme-cold defense demand. Hydrogen + solar integration: Maruti Suzuki commissioned a 300 kW green hydrogen electrolyzer at Manesar, using solar-generated power to boost utilization. EV charging + solar/battery bundling: Otovo and InCharge Energy partnered to offer one-stop solar, storage, and EV charging services across major U.S. markets. Sea-level climate push: Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman urged faster emissions cuts and more climate finance, warning a 25 cm sea-level rise could endanger millions. Grid readiness for renewables: Malaysia’s TNB stressed that cleaner generation must move with smarter grid upgrades and cross-border interconnection.

Climate Diplomacy: Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal urged G7 and the wider world to move from climate “commitments” to real implementation, citing Bhotekoshi flood losses of $5B+ and major damage to hydropower and infrastructure. Disaster Recovery & Hydropower: Nepal is also preparing an exit strategy for the monthslong search-and-rescue in hydropower tunnels, while the energy ministry launched a legal process to reserve 2% of hydropower IPOs for security personnel involved in rescue work. Renewables Growth: India’s CEA data show solar generation jumped 46.8% year-on-year in August, with solar and wind together topping one-fifth of total power output. EU Power Mix: Eurostat reports renewables slipped slightly year-on-year in Q2 2026 even as solar rose, underscoring the need for a more diversified clean mix. Grid & Market Rules: Bangladesh’s merchant-power reform faces pushback over network charges, a key test for whether solar buyers can reliably connect to paying customers. Energy Security Debate: Alaska’s experts weighed whether the state needs a Susitna-Watana mega-dam as costs rise, with concerns about salmon impacts. Solar in Action: SECI signed an MoU to install grid-connected rooftop solar at CMLRE in Kochi under PM-Surya Ghar.